A week earlier, I learned about the Girls in Tech event through a friend. Having six years of BD experience, I was intrigued, and my very first GIT event did not disappoint.  The panelists talked candidly about their experiences in BD, discussed how the BD role has changed in today’s challenging economic environment, and gave advice on how to make a career transition to BD.

Afterwards, as the panelists stuck around to chat with attendees, I stole one-on-one time with Sonia Survanshi McFarland from Yelp who gave me insightful advice when I asked her, “What should I be doing to move up in my company?”.  She prefaced her tips by advising, “You should be doing the job that you want for a while before expecting to get the title that comes with it.” (ie, in order to be promoted to VP, you should already be preforming at a VP level before asking for a promotion)

Sonia’s Tips on Moving Up

1.) Make yourself indispensable.  Position yourself to be strong where your boss may be weak, and offer to step in and handle aspects of the job that your boss hates doing.
2.) Be visible and take credit for your work! Women tend to be modest about our achievements, whereas men generally don’t have this problem.  It’s important to shine and celebrate our achievements.
3.) Be in the know. Know how changes in the industry and overall economic environment affect your company.  Take a thought leadership position, proactively contribute ideas and provide creative solutions to problems.

The Women in BD event delivered exactly what i was hoping to see — women having fun and helping each other.  By the end of the evening I was certain I wanted to be a part of Girls in Tech.

A big thanks to Jessica Alter (Bebo), Sonia Survanshi McFarland (Yelp), Lucy Jacobs (AdBrite), and Jennifer Vescio (CBS Interactive) for sharing your BD experiences with us, and to Peter Pham (BillShrink) for moderating the session!